Rachael Watson

Rachael Watson wrote herself into the history books at her first Paralympic Games, Rio 2016, when she won a gold medal and set a new Paralympic record of 40.13 in the women’s 50m freestyle S4.

Remarkably, at Tokyo 2020, Rachael claimed the title again. Swimming in lane two, she clocked another Paralympic record time, 39.36, to secure gold.

At Paris 2024, Rachael continued to set benchmarks. Her bronze in the 50m freestyle S4 made her the first Australian Paralympian or Olympian to win three consecutive medals in the 50 freestyle and her bronze in the 100m freestyle S3 was Australia’s first ever medal in the event.

Para-swimming for Rachael was about more than competition. It formed part of her physiotherapy to treat Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which her immune system mistakenly attacked her peripheral nervous system, resulting in paralysis. This came after Rachael, a triplet born four months prematurely, acquired spastic diplegia cerebral palsy.

Classified as an S4 swimmer in 2015, Rachael caught the attention of the Australian Para-swimming team’s coaching staff at the 2016 Australian Championships in Adelaide, where she came close to the women’s 100m freestyle S4 world record. She has gone on to win multiple world championship medals in the 50 and 100 freestyle, though no gold as yet.

Rachael was awarded The University of Queensland Blue for sporting excellence in 2021 and, in 2022, was named the University’s Sportswoman of the Year.